Davis Mountain King Snake

Ophibolus alternus, (A. E. Brown)

Colouration: Following is a portion of Mr. Brown's diagnosis of the type specimen:
Dimensions: Total length of the type specimen . . . . . 28 1/8 inches.
Distribution: As yet, taken only in the Davis Mountains, Jeff Davis County, Texas.

The present species appears to be very rare. The type specimen was taken in the Davis Mountains of western Texas, and was described by Mr. Arthur Erwin Brown, in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, in December, 1901.

"The ground-colour is slate gray, crossed on the back, at intervals of three to five scales, by bands of black which are alternately wider and narrower, the wide ones covering from 2 to 3 scales on the middle of the back, and more or less divided transversely on their centres with scarlet. The narrow bands are about one scale wide and wholly black, occasionally broken through by the ground-colour. On the neck the bands are narrower and less defined, while the red is more pronounced on the posterior part of the body. There are nineteen red and black bands on the body, and an equal number of the intermediate black ones. On the tail there are 5 bands, which form quite distinct rings, on the last two of which the red is absent. The head, including the labials, is dark gray with small dark mottlings, not well defined, and a narrow black streak from the postoculars to the angle of the mouth. Ventral surface grayish white, heavily blotched with black, into which the black portion of the cross-bands run."

Length of tail . . . . . 4 1/8 inches.